Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-04-27
Tic Railing of ThurrIOHd.
me Editor of The Disp0fch:

~ tHC JIuttOI W VIZ fTfNtNNFf'
As those readers of your paper who
are acquainted with the history OF tie
killing of Mr.. William Donaldson by
Joseph Thurmond at Sewell, W. Va,
several months since would naturally
like to know the circumstances OF the
second bailing, L write. Thurmond is
a man of spare build, about thirty years
old, and has had an affection OF the
bone or bones OF his leg since he was
lad, which is technically called necrosis,
or death of the bone. He was very
impatient under confinement, and his
father went upon hunt for doctors
who would testify that confinement
would en9anger his life, and necrosis
proved fortunate name for the prl-
soner's malady. The doctor was found
in Charleston, and we do not attribute
any unworthy motives to him. And this
doctor is a clever man. He graduated
with honor at the University of Mary
land four years and one month since,
and is considered as an eye and ear
specialist in and around Charles
ton, but he also does general
practice. Three other physicians testi-
fed that in less than three months,
when the trial will be had, the prisoner
would suffer very little, il any, danger
from imprisonment, and they might
have testified that such enforced rest
would be of benefit. One of these
doctors was also from Charleston, and
probably graduated before the doctor
Tor the prisoner was born. The other
two physicians are considered good
general surgeons as well, and have been
graduated for years. The young doc
tor-young in graduation-went to see
the Judge in Lewisburg, / am informed,
and the three dissenting doctors pro-
badly only filed their affidavits.
The prosecuting attorney was very
10th to sign the instrument for Thur
mond's bail.
The condition of the leg was as fol-
lows: There were two openings in the
neighborhood of the shin-bone these
would discharge some matter at times,
and when probe was passed into them
loose pieces of bone could be detected.
This affection is comparatively painless,
common, and innocent, for it is seldom
followed by fatal blood-poisoning, may
continue for years, and the speediest
method Of cure is to do what nature
tries to do, remove the pieces of dead
bones which act as foreign bodies. The
bones sometimes die in parts from
scrofula, syphilis, and injury. In view
of the examination the prisoner may
have unduly irritated his sores. The
aforementioned doctor influenced the
Judge with the fashionable bugbelr
blcod-roisoninp. But why has not the
prisoners blood been poisoned through
all of these years ? Blood-poisoning
is commonly caused by the over-crowd-
ing of patients with suppurating
wounds, the consequent lack OF pure
air, and insufficient and unwholesome
food.
Thurmond was in an sverage-sized,
clean, and new-stone county jail, with
all of the modern appliances for health
and saie-keeping, OF which there are
many, and the Jail would have been far
from being crowded. The Jail is stu
ated upon high mountain about 1900
feet above tide-water, amid the usual
population of a small county-seat, aud
is most literally supplied with unex-
oeptionable food. The sheriff was
highly complmented upon the hygiene
of his Jail. Thurmond's liberation was
q great surprise TO all Of the doctors in
this county, and, as he had been very
active man as a surveyor and as a
farmer and in everything he undertook,
many OF his friends learned with sur
prise of late for the first time that he
had anything the matter with his log.
X.
MOUNT CARBON, w. Va, April. 1887.